Rennell Island and Kirakira were both seized per plan. Unfortunately, one CVE TF was spotted by an IJN float plane. Probably from one of the two IJN subs now seen hunting near Arorae. The fleet will continue onward, into a forecast of overcast skies tomorrow. The heavy cruisers will rush ahead to make a bombardment of the island while the carriers and escort carriers will fly bombers against the base. Lexington's and Yorktown's fighters will fly sweep missions against Tarawa as well.

Enterprise is leaving Pearl Harbor. Too late for the invasion she will steak in that direction anyway just in case she is needed for follow up actions.

A pleasant surprise east of Sian. That, an expected expulsion from position of a small unit, and several recon bombardments by the IJA. The IJA have now opened up the supply route on the main road bypassing Chihkiang. Hopefully I can delay the "I'll bite your leg off!" phase as long as possible.

There was no naval bombardment of Tarawa - I should have sent them in both full speed (which they are) and Remain on Station. The air attacks went in successfully enough, although the Imperial fighters got their share of the bombers. A total of 10 x SBD and 8 x TBD were lost along with 3 of their Wildcat protectors. No attacks were received by the fleet. Against that went 6 x Nell, 6 x Zero, 2 x Alf, and 2 x Rufe. The air base seemed to be hit hard, but WILL be bombarded tonight for certain. The fighter sweeps did not go in, at least not separately from the strike.

A slight change in plan; D-Day for Abemama is tomorrow. Tomorrow is still D-1 for Tarawa. Most of the fleet will position itself 40nm SE Tarawa. The heavy cruisers will be at Tarawa after making a high-speed run during the night. The TF took position 9 hexes from Tarawa, only advancing 3 hexes today. That is in line with the code setting up for a high-speed run into a nighttime bombardment, as I should have realized. Still, after the air attack Tarawa air base shows as 33% damaged, enough to close down offensive operations. No air attacks on the base tomorrow. Fresh air groups will be needed if an IJN KB responds. Mine sweepers should begin doing their work tomorrow.

The passage below Rabaul has just been mined today. The USA 43rd ID, prepped for Nauru, is loading on transports for passage to the forward areas. USMC paratroopers continue dropping on Rennell Island and Kirakira. Tomorrow 3 x APD will make each island to unload supplies. As Tulagi is shut down, Munda is the nearest Japanese air base. The area will be covered by rain (with overcast at Munda), so the bombers will take a day off. Three subs are northwest and west of Ndeni, possibly guarding against movement toward the Solomons to follow up on the para landings. A SeaBee unit was delivered to Vaitupu to speed construction of that air base. Vaitupu will help form a chain of short distance hops to and through the Gilberts so that squadrons of small aircraft can deploy forward more easily.

A bit of success with our diversion on the Burma frontier. There is now a second IJA unit to oppose the river crossing near Kalemyo! Our units will no longer make a crossing there but will continue to demonstrate as though moving in that direction. Meanwhile the forces of Operation Wedge make progress moving through the jungle the long way.

The mine field below Rabaul has been cleared, but apparently the mine field at Rabaul has yet to be found. There are three subs seen closing on the landing sites, but no indication of carriers. There is an unidentified radio source 160nm NW Roi-Namur. The USN heavy cruisers hit Tarawa with quite a lot of well placed 8 inch ordnance.

Tarawa shows damage of 45% to the airfield and 27% to the port. Only a few planes are in evidence. The 3 x slow battleships will bombard tomorrow, in support of the landing. The heavy cruisers will make for Canton Island where a replenishment station has been set up. Most cruisers used up almost all of their main gun ammo and some of their 5 inch, a couple used up about half. Spotted troops on Tarawa is 6,920 and 18 guns. No AFV.

Abemama was seized and airfield building will begin right away. Tomorrow the base forces & engineers will land and get busy themselves. A PBY group is moving to Abemama and will commence search operations tomorrow.

One IJN subs fired two torpedoes at Hornet, but missed. Other subs attacked the landing forces but also missed.

Meanwhile, the IJN took advantage of the known location of major USN units. This force was not seen coming. There was a search report yesterday of a small TF of a PB and 3 x AS just north of Munda. The submarine tenders turned out to be battleships!

The Imperial battle wagons are still at Ndeni! At least Kongo should be slowed down by hitting that mine. Two separate TF, one with 2 x CL + 1 x DE and one with 2 x CA + 1 x DD are ordered from Luganville to Ndeni. One CL and both CA have torpedoes, and combined with the Dutch DD still at Ndeni they might get some hits in during a night battle. The TB group has moved from Luganville to Vanua Lava to get closer, but Ndeni is too close as it might get whumped.

Here is a look at the Intel screen. We just edged past the Empire in points for bases, and they are down to an even 500 bases held. That number might go up due to the situation in China.

That TF of Kongo BBs must have been on a bombardment mission when they used up their ops points tangling with the Dutch TF. That's the only reason I can think of for them to remain there, especially after hitting a mine. They will likely bombard tonight and head for Rabaul or Truk.

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No matter how bad a situation is, you can always make it worse. - Chris Hadfield : An Astronaut's Guide To Life On Earth

Quite a wild and woolly turn with me attacking in one place and he in another. I was a bit surprised to see them still there. I would have to go back to a save to really be sure, but they might have been more than one phase away at full speed. Maybe he counted on bombarding (thus closing Ndeni) and then getting far enough away to escape bombers from the airfields farther back. Or, they were just going in to kill ships and rush back out. Either way it didn't quite work. I figure on a bombardment tonight, but Kongo should be slow and might be within range or even keep them all within range. The long range level bombers (2E & 4E) could get lucky and score some annoying hits, but the crews are not trained up in naval attack. We have plenty of subs out patrolling, and two of their DD escorts got hurt and will not operate at 100%.

I've decided to lift the division out of Tarawa right away, and so have two Marine Defense Bns and a USA infantry Bn being picked up to bolster the combat engineers who will remain with the base forces. The convoy will need one or two more days to finish unloading supplies before it can load up the division. The amphibious tractor unit will remain until the reinforcements have arrived to facilitate unloading, then move out for the next assignment.

I used some extra AP to load the division, but I would have preferred more. It seems that including the amphibious tractor Bn was the right move. I'm convinced that it helped get the entire division unloaded in just the one day. Remember these are only AP, not APA.

No ground combat in China. Lanchow is again invested as two Imperial formations moved in from the SE (between Lanchow and Kungchang).

Discretion being the batter part of valor, the Imperial battle wagons were withdrawing from Ndeni when the only force to catch them, four destroyers already fairly to mostly beat up, made their attack. Heavy fire kept the Dutch from reaching torpedo launch range.

Scouting reports make it seem that a TF of 2 ships is 80nm N Tulagi. That could be Kongo and an escort. Spotted at Shortlands is a TF composed of 1 x SC, 1 x MTB, 2 x AS. In other words, the other 2 battleships.

The fleet SE Tarawa evaded submarine attacks and gave some hits in return. Tarawa itself now has a fully operational airfield and service damage is being worked on (R-S-P: 0-71-49). The first squadron to base there, USMC dive bombers, has arrived. The first operational Corsair squadron in en route on an AKV. Unloading is proceeding at a good clip from the amphibious forces, but is somewhat hampered by the damaged port. Tomorrow or the day after the division will begin loading. In about two days Enterprise will join the other fleet carriers.

The heavy cruisers have replenished at Canton Island and are making for Tabiteuea where they will endeavor to render the same devastating assistance to that invasion.

The 9th Australian Division is leaving Karachi for Chittagong. They will join the push inland from the coast when Operation Wedge is revealed.

There was a running air battle on the Burma-India border as a large Imperial air armada tried to ambush the 4EB that have been slamming their troops guarding the river. They did succeed in taking down 2 x B-24 and causing 1 x B-17 ops loss, but the P-40K sweepers made them pay dearly for it. These battles are closer to our fighter bases and farther away from the Empire's fighters bases than will be the case when Operation Wedge is revealed with the bombing of Imperial forces entrenched in the jungle across from Akyab.

CAP engaged: 251 Ku S-1 with A6M2 Zero (0 airborne, 0 on standby, 0 scrambling) 1 plane(s) not yet engaged, 0 being recalled, 0 out of immediate contact. Group patrol altitude is 15000 , scrambling fighters to 10000. Time for all group planes to reach interception is 31 minutes 11th Sentai/C with Ki-44-IIa Tojo (0 airborne, 0 on standby, 0 scrambling) 1 plane(s) not yet engaged, 0 being recalled, 0 out of immediate contact. Group patrol altitude is 29000 , scrambling fighters to 10000. Time for all group planes to reach interception is 20 minutes 21st Sentai with Ki-45 KAIa Nick (0 airborne, 0 on standby, 0 scrambling) 1 plane(s) not yet engaged, 0 being recalled, 0 out of immediate contact. Group patrol altitude is 12000 , scrambling fighters to 10000. Time for all group planes to reach interception is 256 minutes 25th Sentai with Ki-44-IIa Tojo (0 airborne, 0 on standby, 0 scrambling) 1 plane(s) not yet engaged, 0 being recalled, 0 out of immediate contact. Group patrol altitude is 14000 , scrambling fighters to 10000. Time for all group planes to reach interception is 19 minutes 50th Sentai with Ki-44-IIa Tojo (0 airborne, 0 on standby, 0 scrambling) 2 plane(s) not yet engaged, 0 being recalled, 0 out of immediate contact. Group patrol altitude is 14000 , scrambling fighters to 10000. Time for all group planes to reach interception is 311 minutes

Kongo will certainly be in the yard for some time! Corsairs will be nice too! I found them to do better on the offensive then on the defensive. However you use them they are a blessing. Superior to anything else on map at this time, Jap or Allied!

The Corsairs I plan to use on the offensive when I get into the Solomons. I have no immediate plans for the Marshalls, so the unit en route to Abemama/Tarawa might be more for show. I suppose that might have a small chance of providing some degree of misdirection about the next primary axis of advance in the Pacific. But until the drop tanks are produced for that model I don't think they can reach the nearest >1 Imperial airfield.

For sure I plan to grab Nauru and Ocean Island before any thought about the Marshalls.

We have more subs along her path, so Kongo might yet sleep with the fishes!

BBFanboy called it right...Tarawa was a push over. Of course a lot of that was your careful planning and execution of the invasion. Well done.

Also, I agree that BC Kongo may not make it home. If both torps from S-41 did actual hit the vessel, that along with the mine hit, 2 1000# bombs and 4 shell hits (against the Dutch) may do her in. She is not the stoutest of capital ships.

Marching and Imperial air attacks in China. In the Gilberts we lost a DD but claim a sub in return. Tarawa base is completely operational and expansion of the airfield is underway. We get long range recon of Shortlands and find 2 ships in port - let's say Kongo and her escort - and a TF of 2 x SC and 2 x AS. Let's call those the other Kongo class battleships.

Here is a look at Burma. The main actors in Operation Wedge are working their way through the jungle. Soon several regiments will begin moving into northern Burma, either a little behind or on pace with the main advance.

A Glen was shot down over Bombay. We lost an AM on ASW duty near Ndeni. At Tarawa an IJN sub was hit by an SBD. A portion of the Australian 2/7 Commando Bn (parachute capable) leaves under cover of darkness tonight from Normanton aboard Narwhal and Nautilus to seize Gove. Argonaut will follow with another contingent but a second run by all three subs will be needed. C-47 transports are standing by to drop supplies. Now a third Imperial unit has appeared in the jungle across the river from the two demonstrating regiments in Burma. In two days they will cease moving and head south past Kalemyo along the same side of the river. In their place two battalions will take up their positions and continue the demonstration so that the unit count is the same.

Tabiteuea suddenly scouts as empty, so it is possible that the Imperial forces have been air lifted and or sea lifted out. Tomorrow is D-1. If recon shows an empty island the bombardment will be canceled.

Lexington, Yorktown, and Hornet are heading to Pearl Harbor along with a number of cruisers and destroyers to undergo refit. Some additional destroyers will accompany them simply due to maintenance needs. The rest of the fleet will remain in the Gilberts until the movement of ground forces in completed to provide cover from raids. With two fleet carriers and nine escort carriers, they will not accept a major carrier engagement.

There is a TF of 6 ships including a CM heading east from the Solomons.

Very strange attacks in China. why is he keeping on attacking against those horrible odds?

Have you reconned the jungle hexes in Burma south of Kalemyo? Are they really empty?

Well, there are two things. First I think that many of the really strange attacks are being made by only armored units in the hex. The infantry mostly just protect the armor until things break.

In other cases where the infantry is involved I think he is trying to break through and is willing to accept some level of losses to do so. Sometimes my guys do OK but on the whole that's working pretty well for him. Of late there are signs of the Allies holding the line, but then he brings in more troops at the points he is trying to force and the equation changes.

I'm not certain that those hexes directly SW of Kalemyo (where the two regiments will soon begin advancing) are empty, but they are secondary anyway. It's the next diagonal hex row, to the left of Kalemyo, that is important. And those hexes are all adjacent to Allied units for some time now so I know they are empty. Once my units in that hex row are spotted it will be the job of the air forces to slow down Imperial troops enough that our boys can win the race. Also, if the troops in-hex with the Australian division and the ones across from Akyab do begin moving, they lose their fortification bonus. They are the targets.

Tabiteuea still looks empty, so no bombardment. The troops go ashore tomorrow. The fleet will cover, as there will be no transports/merchants near Tarawa or Abemama. But in three days the Corsairs will be unloaded at Abemama (which just built port size 1) and a merchant convoy with supplies will arrive the same day. And the day before (in two days) a USMC Def Bn will arrive at Tarawa.

Here is a look at the desperate situation in China. The mouse-over you see is of the hex with the armor-only assault of today. 13 hexes from Ledo. No anti-aircraft guns noted. All 4EB squadrons (3 x B-17E, 2 x B-17F, 1 x B24D, 2 x Liberator II) and all B-25 and Wellington squadrons (4 x B-25C and 3 x Wellington Ic) have transferred to Ledo. Rain is predicted tomorrow and they will rest. The day after, regardless of weather, they will make a 5,000ft attack on those tank formations. Most likely only the one day as the risk to the bombers based at Ledo is too great to stay.

The bottom line appears to be that our troops were better and at least aided to some degree by naval gunfire. They are in good shape but disrupted and will wait a couple of days before beginning to advance on the base.

Tarawa has been mined with 200 x Mk 6 mines. One USMC Def Bn should begin landing tomorrow, and so most of the Battle Fleet is moving to cover.

The defenders appear to outnumber our troops on Tabiteuea, but they don't stand a chance.

Edit to Add: Our Commandos probably land at Gove this day but I can not find mention of it in any reports. Gove was occupied the following day.

The Allies captured: Gove There were Imperial amphibious operations at:

There were Allied amphibious operations at: Tabiteuea

More progress for the Empire in China. Chihkiang is doomed, and the troops nearby will be lucky to get out semi-intact. With Chihkiang and the positions around it, Tuyun and Kweiyang are more likely to fall.

SS I-158 is sighted by escort DE Express fails to find sub, continues to search... DE Express attacking submerged sub .... DE Express loses contact with SS I-158 DE Express is out of ASW ammo DE Express is out of ASW ammo DE Express is out of ASW ammo DE Express fails to find sub, continues to search... DE Express attacking submerged sub .... DE Express is out of ASW ammo DE Express is out of ASW ammo DE Express is out of ASW ammo DE Express is out of ASW ammo DE Express is out of ASW ammo DE Express is out of ASW ammo DE Express attacking submerged sub .... DE Express is out of ASW ammo DE Express is out of ASW ammo DE Express is out of ASW ammo DE Express is out of ASW ammo DE Express is out of ASW ammo Escort abandons search for sub

The USMC Raider Bn on Tabiteuea has 19 disruption, higher than I would like, but an attack is ordered for tomorrow anyway. The Combat Eng Bn has only 5 disruption, 3 x CA + 2 x DD will bombard, and 18 x dive bombers from Tarawa will strike. Those factors, plus the revealed inexperience of the Japanese defenders (see (-) from landing day combat) should make the difference.

It looks like CL St Louis and DD Tucker collided while escorting Lexington. The two will separate from the carrier TF and have to make their own way back to Pearl Harbor.

CAP engaged: VF-6 with F4F-4 Wildcat (0 airborne, 0 on standby, 0 scrambling) (3 plane(s) diverted to support CAP in hex.) 0 plane(s) not yet engaged, 0 being recalled, 3 out of immediate contact. Group patrol altitude is 10000 Time for all group planes to reach interception is 21 minutes VF-35 with F4F-4 Wildcat (0 airborne, 0 on standby, 0 scrambling) (2 plane(s) diverted to support CAP in hex.) 0 plane(s) not yet engaged, 2 being recalled, 0 out of immediate contact. Group patrol altitude is 10000 Time for all group planes to reach interception is 5 minutes

The Corsairs were winched off the AKV in flying condition and transferred immediately to Tarawa.

Lots of little activity going on throughout the Pacific as units, supplies, fuel, support ships and more move around. Just about all the AP are heading to ship yard equipped ports for their conversions to APA. With that, any major invasions will have to wait until they are back at the front, probably early April. The AK are still available as the ones that convert do so in June. Along with the increasing number of LST arriving in theater, perhaps we can pull off something sooner. Here is an overview map.

OK, as part of stretching my brain to get back into Intel Monkey programming I put together a routine to clean up the Sunk Ships list from Tracker. Presently it is somewhat basic, in that what it does is take the .CSV file that tracker creates (in Tracker you Export a CSV file of the SunkShips list) and makes a .txt file with the columns nicely aligned.

Here is the current sunk ships list from Tracker, so formatted.

Edit to Add: As before, the esiest way to view it is click on the link to the attachment, then click on the file name in the pop up window. The file will come up inside the window which is of course too small. Click on the little square near the upper right corner to maximize the window and the file will look pretty.

That list makes it very clear how well you have done! You wiped out mini KB without losing any of your carriers. You have sunk 8 of 18 CAs, about twice as good as IRL. You have taken a heavy toll of his precious DDs. The only major category you are lagging in is BBs sunk - historic for Feb./43 was 2, you have sunk one. We'll put it down to the bombs-that-don't-penetrate nerf. OTOH, you have lost a lot of APDs. Do you get many more in this scenario?

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No matter how bad a situation is, you can always make it worse. - Chris Hadfield : An Astronaut's Guide To Life On Earth

That list makes it very clear how well you have done! You wiped out mini KB without losing any of your carriers. You have sunk 8 of 18 CAs, about twice as good as IRL. You have taken a heavy toll of his precious DDs. The only major category you are lagging in is BBs sunk - historic for Feb./43 was 2, you have sunk one. We'll put it down to the bombs-that-don't-penetrate nerf. OTOH, you have lost a lot of APDs. Do you get many more in this scenario?

Hmm? I thought I only lost 5 x APD. I have a bunch in play now, although I think it's sometime in '44 before any more come in. Because of all the 4-stacker conversions I have enough APD. Without counting I figure about half of them are upgraded. I'll do the rest when I can (the surface search radar sounds important!) but I don't want to let up on moving things to the front and that's where they are helping so far. I should be able to get the rest upgraded during March.

Edit: Yeah, about + 8 or 9 to that 5. Tracker doesn't fully sort the list, which threw me off.

Admiral, don't forget that you can convert certain older DD types to APD. That is a worthwhile investment. You are starting to get a lot of new DDs as reinforcements so you'll not feel the loss of those old tincans. I'd convert just aboit all the old Clemson Class DDs to APD. The APD is a very useful vessel.